After the marathon endurance test of a train ride, we checked into the hostel and did a little exploring. We set up a massage appointment to work out some of the aches and pains from the trip. This gave us comfort and we also found comfort in our food for dinner. Chengdu is located in the Sichuan province of China. The province is famous for its spicy food and hot pot. You go to a restaurant and order plates of meat and vegetables Then you throw them in the giant pot in the middle of the table which is filled with seasonings and spices. It cooks the food in a few minutes and it's ready to eat. The spicy was spicy and the non-spicy was flavorful. I love Sichuanese hot pot!
The next morning we took a trip to see the famous Chengdu panda institute and research center. They house the largest population of pandas and they breed them in order to keep their population from dying out. We saw old pandas and we saw young pandas. Most of the time they just hang out and eat bamboo, but we caught them in the morning when they are more active. . . eating bamboo. After the pandas, we walked around town during the afternoon to take in the sites and then after supper we attended another staple for the Sichuan province: the opera. Have you ever seen an opera with fancy costumes, lots of makeup, and fast changing faces? That is also a famous Sichuan thing. Not only did they sing and dance, but they included some other variety acts. The evening had a Chinese opera singer, an Erhu solo (look it up), shadow puppets, a marionette, a flute and horn solo (Chinese style), a comedy act which included fire, and the changing faces. All of the dialogue was in Chinese, so some of it was lost in translation.
Our last day was spent looking for a pizza place that sounded really good. The problem was our source was almost ten years old. Doesn't a place called Redbrick Pub and Pizzeria sound delicious for lunch? We didn't find it, so we went to a place that sold a mean burger and some awesome ice cream desserts. What a nice place to stumble into. We splurged a little bit, but we remembered the train ride that got us to this city and we justified our pricey lunch. Next, we headed toward the Tibetan part of town. There were lots of monks and lots of Buddhas and I heard a different language too. These mini cities really show the cultural history and complexity of China. The area was decorated for the upcoming new year. We went back to the hostel and relaxed after a day full of walking. Our next stop was Kunming and this time there would be no train!
